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Filamentation protects the human fungal pathogen, Candida albicans, from programmed cell death
Author(s) -
Laprade David,
Austriaco Nicanor
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.24.1_supplement.485.14
Subject(s) - filamentation , programmed cell death , candida albicans , yeast , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , hypha , farnesol , apoptosis , pathogen , cell , genetics , biochemistry , laser , physics , optics
Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a controlled form of cell suicide that occurs when cells are exposed to stressful conditions. Candida albicans is a dimorphic human fungal pathogen that proliferates in either a yeast blastospore form or a filamentous hyphal form. When cultured in media containing either amphotericin B or farnesol, this yeast undergoes programmed cell death. We now provide evidence that filamentation, the process that results in the production of the long, cellular protrusions characteristic of hyphal cells, protects this yeast from cell death death. This may be an evolutionary adaptation that allows hyphal cells in a colony to forage by utilizing nutrients released by their dying blastospore neighbors. (Supported by RI‐INBRE Grant # P20RR016457 from NCRR, NIH.)